U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,590 granted to Yukio Isomura Jun. 13, 1989 discloses an inside handle device that comprises a bezel that acts as a bracket, a D-shaped handle pivotally mounted on the bezel, and a lock button disposed inside the D-shaped handle, and pivotally mounted on the D-shaped handle at one end. The inside handle device also includes a separate hinge pin or pins for pivotally mounting the handle and the lock button for pivotal movement about the same axis. The handle is connected to a latch mechanism of a door latch (not shown) by a control rod. The lock button is connected to a lock mechanism of the door latch by a second control rod. A coil spring biases the door handle to the latched position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,202 granted to Yuichi Kato and Masazumi Miyagawa Apr. 30, 1991 discloses a similar arrangement. The handle devices disclosed in these two patents provide the advantage of a D-shaped handle for unlatching a vehicle door that is strong and easy to operate while also providing a lock button for locking the vehicle door. However, the handle devices comprise many parts and are difficult to assemble.